Long known as Asia's shopping center for global brand names and luxury goods, Hong Kong now is promoting its own designers and trying to sell local brands to the world.

Hong Kong fashion show: A sales representative chats with a foreign visitor in front of a booth for a mainland fashion company on the opening day of Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2006. The event started on Tuesday in Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, it launched a duet fashion exhibitions, Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2006 and World Boutique, Hong Kong 2006, aimed at facilitating regional garments trades and establishing local brand names.

"Hong Kong is not only one of the world's largest exporters of clothing and clothing accessories, but also the fashion hub of Asia," said Rafael Hui, Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

In a bid to encourage original designing, the HKSAR government in last June launched an innovation center to help promote different forms of design and develop related human resources.

"We will continue to work closely with the trade to facilitate the development of Hong Kong's fashion industry, and ensure that it remains competitive," said Hui.

The government's call for local fashion talent is echoed by the renowned Hong Kong designer Vivienne Tang, who's currently based in New York.

"It's important that entrepreneurs and schools work hand in hand and let more students see the real world while they are still at school," she said.

In 2004 alone, Hong Kong's textile and garment industry's domestic exports amounted the aggregate value of 69 billion HK dollars. The figure means 55 percent of Kong Kong's total domestic exports and an employment of 43,000 people.

From last January to November, Hong Kong's total exports of clothing and clothing accessories rose by 9 percent over the same period of the previous year to a total of US$25 billion.

Besides the production prospect, Hong Kong has long been the forerunner of Asia in the fashion world.

Being Asia's free trade port, Hong Kong has had a full collection of brand names around the world since the early days. Big players of the fashion world have also chosen the city as their step stone to Asia.

Louis Vuitton in 2005 opened its Hong Kong "mansion", one of its four global flagship stores, at Central, the city's finance and business center where office rents are among the highest around the world.

Close by are the Armani Group's building, which houses the group's first flagship store to open outside of Milan.

In the same district, Harvey Nichols set up its first store in Asia, presenting the store's winning combination of fashion, food and brands and the leading Christian Dior Hong Kong retailing outlet.

Other big names having their boutique in Hong Kong include Burberry, Prada, Colce & Gabbana, YSL, Dunhill and Cartier etc.

Despite of the embrace of world brand names, Hong Kong has not found itself the spotlight on the global fashion stage.

Started from low-cost apparel suppliers, Hong Kong is less known for its own brand names and local designers, talking about fashion.

Except for a few successful individuals, Hong Kong is still a production, sourcing and servicing center of quality garments rather than a designing center.

The city's position in the world fashion map has been further challenged with the abolition of textiles quota early last year.

"Such changes in the business environment have created limitations to our clothing sector, it is perhaps also a timely call on the need to move up the value chain," said Hui.

Thus, have come the duet fashion exhibitions, which are expected to consolidate Hong Kong's role as garment trades center and showcase local designers at the same time. A contest of local young designers is set up on the first day of the four-day events.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2006)